To not be totally critical here of the Florida seat belt law, we would like to refer to a press release by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), on October 17th 2017, regarding a research study that they conducted. According to the results of the research study, the rate of statewide usage of seat belts across Florida has reached the peak of 90.2 percent. Putting it at an all-time record.

The 0.6 percent increase in the rate of usage of seat belts from 2016, which had the seat belt usage rate of 89.6 percent, owes to the efforts of FDOT and its traffic safety partners. Their educational efforts, campaigns (like Click It or Ticket) and high visibility law enforcement, all have helped to increase Florida’s seat belt usage rate to an all-time highest Florida has seen.

Florida Seat Belt Law

Drivers and passengers 18 or older can be cited if they, or any passenger under the age of 18, are not properly strapped in. Drivers will be charged with a seat belt violation if any passenger under the age of 18 is not restrained with a seat belt or child restraint device.

Importance of Seat Belt Usage

The invention of all safety devices has meaning which we, at times, tend to ignore Florida seat belt law. Safety devices play an important role in our day to day lives. We hear about the occurrence of a lot of road accidents that happen every single day where the proper utilization of seat belts save many human lives.

Passengers in a vehicle who are not wearing a seat belt can become projectiles during an accident. Unbuckled passengers can very easily be ejected through the front, rear or side windows, often resulting in death.

Passengers in the rear seat of an automobile who use both lap and should safety belts are 44% more likely to survive in crash. The percentage increases to 73% for rear seat passengers in Vans or SUV vehicles.

Wearing a seat belt prevents passenger ejection during a severe accident that involves a rollover. The chances of surviving this type of accident increases 45% when wearing a proper safety restraint device. In pickup trucks, that number increases to 60%.

Still, all of us have heard people make excuses like, “I’m only going around the corner,” “it’s uncomfortable,” or “I’m a good driver, I don’t need to wear one.” Well, what people need to realize is that there are situations that can arise which may be beyond their control such as bad weather, road conditions, and mistakes that other drivers make. In such situations, seat belts can define the line between life and death.

Statistical Advantage You Carry If You Have Seat Belts On

Wearing a seat belt every time you enter a vehicle is not only the smart thing to do but it is also the right thing to do because it can help save lives, it’s the law, and of course, it will save you money. It is vital for everyone to recognize the importance and the need of wearing seat belts. And well, it’s a pleasure for us to witness that more and more people are realizing the significance of utilizing seat belts while driving, taking the state’s rate of seat belt usage to a record high.

Although for those who still don’t give much heed to the importance of using seat belts, we would again like to stress on their use by talking some statistics. Research shows that use of a seat belt reduces the risk of fatal injuries to a front-seat passenger of a car by 45 percent. When it comes to injuries that can be rated from moderate to critical, the usage of seat belts reduces the risk by 50 percent.